Upon moving to Colorado, I heard the name “Tom” frequently. “Tom”, a business man gave $ to Cole. “Tom” agreed to fund Upstream Impact. “Tom” this and “Tom” that. Who was this Tom?... this unseen guy that I started calling the wizard as he reminded me of mysterious wizard of Oz. I heard his name. I saw the fruit of his giving, but I did not see him. I dreamt once that I went to a party at Tom’s house and even in the dream he was nowhere to be found. Was Tom some mythical character in the sky, raining down money on our neighborhood?
A year into my journey on the yellow brick road of NE Denver, the curtain was pulled back and I met the wizard, I met Tom. I soon realized that unlike the wizard of Oz, Tom Gamel was no phony.
Tom was a smart leader that invested in other leaders. Tom multiplied himself into Jason, my boss, who has multiplied himself into me, and now I into others. Tom leaves behind a legacy of leaders.
As a leader, Tom held us accountable to high expectations. Knowing we had to answer to him, definitely kept me on my toes. Like I have in the past, I will continue to press on during the difficult moments, because I am committed to honoring who he was. His giving will never be in vain.
Tom was personable, unlike the stereotypical, disconnected check-writing philanthropist. I would walk into his office and he’d greet me with a hug. Tom knew the names and the stories of the Upstream families. He spent time with them, visiting Upstream family dinners, and having lunch with participants and mentors at his office. Tom engaged with us and when he was with us, he was one of us.
Tom made dreams come true. He made the vision of Upstream Impact a reality. His generosity fueled a program that made it possible for the undocumented to be documented, for the uneducated to get an education, for a mom to buy her first kitchen table, for the isolated to be surrounded by family, for unexpected medical bills to be paid, for the recovering addict to have a second chance, and for 30+ families to lead their journeys out of poverty. His giving made dreams come true- including mine, when he entrusted me, despite my lack of credentials and experience, with the opportunity to lead Upstream Impact.
Unlike the not-so-wonderful wizard of Oz, Tom turned out be truly wonderful. No wizard at all, he was a good man. In loving memory, we celebrate a personable leader that made dreams come true, Tom Gamel.
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